RMCA literature published elsewhere

Dimzas, D.,  Di Cesare, A.,  Morelli, S.,  Iorio, R.,  Backeljau, T.,  Vanderheyden, A.,  Lombal, A.,  De Meyer, M.,  Meganck, K.,  Smitz, N.,  Kassari, N.,  Traversa, D. & Diakou, A. 2022. ‘Angiostrongylus chabaudi natural infection in wild caught gastropods’. Seventh European Dirofilaria and Angiostrongylus Days. Book of abstracts. Madrid, Spain., 82.

Conference abstract

Angiostrongylus chabaudi is a metastrongyloid nematode inhabiting the pulmonary arteries and the right chambers of the heart of wildcats (Felis silvestris). Rare cases of domestic cat (Felis catus) infection have also been reported (1). Angiostrongylus chabaudi has an indirect life cycle with terrestrial gastropods acting as intermediate hosts. Although the experimental infection of the snail Cornu aspersum with A. chabaudi was successful (2), information about naturally infected gastropods that may participate to the life cycle of the parasite are scant (3). The present study reports the presence of A. chabaudi first, second and third stage larvae in wild-caught gastropods from habitats of wildcats and domestic cats in Greece. Materials and Methods For the purposes of the present study 1212 terrestrial mollusks were collected by hand from 20 geographical regions of Greece, from urban, semi-urban, rural, and wild type environments. The gastropods were identified by morphology and DNA barcoding, and processed by artificial digestion for nematode detection. Identification of the retrieved metastrongyloid larvae to the species level was performed based on morphological/morphometric characteristics and confirmed by molecular methods. Results Angiostrongylus chabaudi was found the species Limax conemenosi O. Böettger, 1882 (n=5) and 16 snails of the species Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758, (n=6), Helix philibinensis Rossmässler, 1839, (n=1), Eobania vermiculata (O.F. Müller, 1774), (n=7) Caucasotachea vindobonensis (C. Pfeiffer, 1828), (n=1), and Zebrina detrita (O.F. Müller, 1774), (n=1). Infected gastropods were collected from semi-urban and wild type environments, in 5 locations of Northern Greece, where wildcat populations are widespread. Conclusions The present study reports new species of terrestrial gastropods naturally infected by A. chabaudi. Even though currently feline angiostrongylosis is restricted to wildcats and does not represent a threat for domestic cats, it cannot be excluded that epizootiological drivers, such as climatic change, biology and distribution of the gastropod-intermediate hosts, and global trade that can introduce infected gastropods in new areas, may promote further expansion of the parasite to naïve regions and favor a spillover to domestic cats, especially in areas where these two felid species live in sympatry.